Leadership support and the informal practice of mindfulness in the military.
Amy B Adler, Paul D Bliese, Ian A Gutierrez, Thomas H Nassif, Amishi P. Jha
Psychological Services July 20, 2026 DOI: 10.1037/ser0001056 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 813 |
| Population | Soldiers attending 10 weeks of basic combat training |
| Intervention | combined mindfulness training and yoga intervention |
| Duration | 10-week intervention, surveyed at 4 weeks and 9 weeks |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | Soldiers who reported higher levels of leadership support for mindfulness training were more likely to engage in informal mindfulness practice than those with lower support. |
Abstract
While research has documented the beneficial effects of greater formal as well as informal mindfulness practice in mindfulness training programs, it is less clear what drives informal practice engagement. In a high-stakes occupational context like the military, where performance is paramount, leader behaviors that support mindfulness training may influence individuals' engagement in informal practice. In a study assessing a combined mindfulness training and yoga intervention, 813 soldiers attending 10 weeks of basic combat training were surveyed at two time points about their informal practice of mindfulness and their perceptions of leader support for mindfulness training. More than one third of participants reported engaging in informal practice at least 3 days per week (343 [48.0%] at 4 weeks and 249 [36.9%] at 9 weeks); participants most frequently reported informally practicing when they felt stressed in training or in the barracks. Individuals reporting higher levels of leadership support for mindfulness training were more likely to report engaging in informal practice compared to those with lower levels of leadership support. This analysis controlled for sex, rank, previous mindfulness experience, and overall leadership ratings. The relationship between leader support for mindfulness and informal mindfulness practice was also found when examined in terms of specific practice contexts (e.g., engaging in a task, getting stressed). Exploratory models assessing group-level ratings of leadership resulted in similar findings. Future implementation efforts should further examine the influence of leader support for mindfulness training in the military and other high-stakes occupational contexts. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Using Self-Report Assessment Methods to Explore Facets of Mindfulness Undergraduate students | 2006 | Observational cohort | |
| Effectiveness of a meditation-based stress reduction program in the treatment of anxiety disorders Patients with generalized anxiety disorder or panic disorder with or without agoraphobia | 1992 | Observational cohort | n = 22 |
| Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness Participants with extensive Insight meditation experience and matched controls | 2005 | Observational cohort | n = 20 |
| Meditation experience is associated with differences in default mode network activity and connectivity Experienced meditators and matched meditation-naive controls | 2011 | Observational cohort | |
| Long-term meditators self-induce high-amplitude gamma synchrony during mental practice Long-term Buddhist practitioners and controls | 2004 | Observational cohort |